Douglas' mother suffers stroke on flight to Paris for Wallabies Test

LONDON: Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has paid tribute to lock Kane Douglas, who played 80 minutes against France while his mother lay in an induced coma in a London hospital.

Trish Douglas suffered a stroke in midair while she and husband Chris flew to Paris to watch their son play in his first Test against France on Saturday night, a Wallabies spokesman confirmed.

She was taken off the plane in London and placed in an induced coma in hospital.

Douglas was contacted by his brothers, Jake and Luke, who plays in the NRL for the Gold Coast Titans, and told of his mother's condition on Friday.

At his father's and brothers' urging, he played the Test match, which Australia lost 33-6, then caught an early train to London on Sunday morning.

Luke and Jake Douglas have also joined the family in London.

"Kane did very well under a difficult circumstance," Deans said. "His mother's not well, she's in hospital in London, so he had that going on in the back of his mind."

Along with Michael Hooper, Waratahs lock Douglas was one of only two forwards who played the 80 minutes against in the brutal contest with France.

In other news, replacement lock Rob Simmons has been cited for a lifting tackle on French flanker Yannick Nyanga during Saturday's match.

Simmons tackled Nyanga as he went for a high ball in the 66th minute, lifting him in the air and appearing to fall with Nyanga, who landed on his back. A hearing time before the citing commissioner has not yet been set.

In Paris on Sunday Deans also raised questions about referee Nigel Owens's reluctance to use the television match official (TMO) at certain periods during the match.

New rules introduced by the International Rugby Board have widened the scope of the TMO and would have allowed Owens to refer French No.8 Louis Picamoles's first-half try for review.

There was speculation Wallabies flanker Dave Dennis was obstructed at the scrum before Picamoles scored France's first five-pointer.

Deans said Owens should have gone to the TMO if he had doubts about the try.

"Absolutely, that's what it's designed for and clearly there was something about that image that wasn't right," he said.

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